13 posts tagged "Betsey Johnson"
Betsey Johnson: Video Queen
Betsey Johnson celebrated her 30th anniversary in the business last year, and she’s more relevant today than she’s been in ages. If you’re anything like us, you’ve got your eye on a few pieces from the designer’s new collaboration with Opening Ceremony, Betsey Johnson Archive. Now we’ve learned that she’s following up last season’s Betsey Crocker flick (which seems pretty prescient in light of the recent release of Julie & Julia) with the launch today of archival show footage going back three decades. Think the neon brights, big shoulders, and Patrick Nagel-esque styling all over the Fall runways look new? Click play: Johnson was working them back in 1979. See the videos here, but be warned: They’re addictive—and inspiring.
Up For Discussion: The Future Of Fashion Shows
Fashion power players including Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein and Proenza Schouler’s Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, along with a slew of top editors and retailers, joined CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg and executive director Steven Kolb this morning at FIT’s Katie Murphy Amphitheatre to discuss the future of New York fashion shows. “Are they relevant as we know them?” was the question at hand, and on the table were concerns about the timing and deliveries of collections and the money spent on expensive runway shows vs. the money made on less flashy, more lucrative pre-collections. Among the most contentious issues raised was what Donna Karan called a “white sale” mentality that’s training customers not to buy clothes and accessories at full price. In the spirit of problem solving, Vogue‘s Anna Wintour suggested that stores get together and set ground rules about when the discounting can start. When she was informed by von Furstenberg that that’s illegal, she replied: “Is that something we can change? We have friends in the White House now.” One topic that we’ll be keeping close tabs on for all of you Style Filers is the potential of fashion shows for consumers, in addition, that is, to shows for editors, buyers, and designers’ celebrity pals. Betsey Johnson, for her part, announced she’d be the first to sign up: “I would love to show at Madison Square Garden,” she said.
Hot Pursuits
Can you imagine having your order taken at a BBQ restaurant by Jason Wu the waiter? What about having Betsey Johnson the lifeguard tell you to stop splashing in the deep end? Well, such instances have indeed occurred, we found out, when we asked designers about their past summer jobs. Of course, many of these young fashion obsessives worked in related fields. Past was certainly prologue for both Vena Cava designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, who toiled as vintage store shopgirls. Meanwhile, Ruffian’s prodigious Brian Wolk (pictured here) made his own clothes to put in a hard day at a local fabric store called Rag Shoppe. The prize for most unexpected job goes to Threeasfour’s Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil, who both donned Lion King costumes to work in Buena Vista, a German Disney outpost. It’s true. We have the pictures to prove it. We have the pictures to prove it. Click here for more on how designers spent their summer vacations before they devoted June, July, and August to creating Spring collections.
Wearing Sasha Fierce, Shooting Madonna, And More…
Beyoncé and her mom are launching a junior apparel label inspired by the singer’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce. The line will hit stores just in time for back-to-school shopping. Principals, you’ve been warned. [WWD]
Madonna ditches the hard-body look in her new ads for Vuitton and gets the solarization treatment. For photography neophytes, this is like getting a spray tan from Man Ray. Click to see all the images. [WWD]
Jude Law is bringing his Hamlet to Broadway. Unfortunately, that’s not some kind of naughty British slang. [NYT]
Betsey Johnson wants to retire this fall and be “like Ralph Lauren,” which is to say, a “fairy godmother.” [The Cut]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just asked Hollywood cool kids (Anne Hathaway and James Franco among them) to join their Oscar voting club. We’re looking forward to the effects of the Seth Rogan/Paul Rudd/Michael Cera voting bloc. [Hollywood Reporter]
Kanye’s shoes for Louis Vuitton are running late. Despite their tardiness, the kicks will still retail for $700 and up. [The Cut]
Betsey Crocker
Betsey Johnson’s not a back-burner kind of gal. She may have abandoned the tents this season, but don’t think you’ll end fashion week without a dose of the designer’s trademark exuberance. Or a cooking lesson. Channeling Julia Child, Betsey dishes out this season’s looks in Recipes for Dressing, an ode to the 1950′s with plenty of tutus, pink sprinkles, and, of, course, a cartwheel. Johnson played the video at her food-themed presentation, and we’ve got it here, fresh baked and exclusively on Style.com.